Superheater tube support



July 7, 1959 H. NUNNINGHOFF 2,893,698 SUPERHEATER TUBE SUPPORT Filed March 18, 1957 mvsmox. Heinrich Nunninghoff ATTORNEY United States memo 2,893,698 supnmmxrnn TUBE snrronr Application March 18, 1957, Serial No. 646,882 1 Claim. (Cl. 257-1) This invention relates to a superheater tube or pipe support, and more particularly to a means for supporting a superheater tube or the like to a fluid cooled supporting tube.

Heretofore, known tube supports for superheater tubes, which generally consist of tube coils or platens of nested or return bend tubes, included suspension fins and safety fins which are secured to a supporting tube. Tube supports of this type have the disadvantage in that the safety fins can only be used on the top, and possibly also on the bottom tube of the superheater platen or the like since welding in the interior of the tube platens is frequently impossible bemuse of the narrow tube distances or opening thereof.

An object of the instant invention is to provide an improved support means whereby a readily detachable means is utilized for securing a superheater tube to a cooperating fin connected to a supporting tube.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tube support which is applicable for supporting any of the superheater tubes comprising the tube platen or coil.

Still another object is to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive tube support that is readily expendable and easily replaceable.

The objects and advantages of the instant invention are accomplished by a supporting fin connected at substantially right angles to a fluid cooled supporting tube, the supporting fin being provided with a notched out portion which is adapted to form a seat for supporting a superheater tube disposed substantially perpendicular relative to said support tube. An anchoring means in the form of hook-shaped guy having opposed hook-end portions disposed at substantially right angles to each other detachably anchors the superheater tube on the supporting fins. This is accomplished by disposing one of the hook ends over the superheater tube to be secured and slipping the other hook-end portion, which is bent at approximately right angles thereto under the supporting fin.

According to this invention the hook-shaped guy or anchoring piece detachably anchors the superheater tubes to a supporting fin and is applicable in all elevations of the superheater platen or coil. The manufacture of the guy hook is very simple and inexpensive, due to the low expenditure in material, and can be easily mounted by an unskilled worker. The support of the superheater tubes or the like is secured by the instant anchoring piece at the top and the sides so that it can not become detached during operation.

Other features and advantages will be readily apparent when considered in view of the description and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view illustrating the manner in which a superheater tube or the like is supported to a fluid cooled supporting tube;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the novel supporting means in which the broken lines illustrate the guy or anchoring means in the detached position and the solid lines show the guy in the final assembled position; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the assembled support.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a supporting tube '10 towhich there is welded or otherwise connected a right-angled supporting fin 11 provided with a circular cut-out portion or notch 12 for supporting a superheater tube 13 or the like. A hook-shaped guy or anchoring piece 14, which is shaped in the form of an S-hook is used for'securing' the superheater tube 13 to the fin 12,'- the opposite ends 14a and 14b of the guy 14 having the hook-end portions displaced at substantially right angles to each other. The upper hook-end portion 14a of the illustrated embodiment constitutes an arcuate portion of a circle which is adapted to conform to the outside diameter of the superheater tube 13 to be supported. The opposite hook-end portion 14b is bent at right angles to the arcuate end portion 14a and is generally squared by a pair of substantially right angle bends as indicated at 15 and 16. Thus the securing and anchoring respectively are effected .by the arcuate portion 14a of the guy being disposed over the superheater tube 13 and the other end 14b of the guy 14 disposed at substantially right angles thereto being pushed over the lower edge 11a of the supporting fin 11.

In operation the guy or anchoring piece 14 is in the position indicated by the solid lines, Fig. 2 so that the same cannot fall out and the tubes 10 and 13 cannot be displaced from each other, since the guy 14 permits much less play than is necessary for the tube 13 to become displaced from the fin 11.

The detachment of the guy 14 and the anchoring respectively is effected by the position of the guy indicated by the broken lines of Fig. 2. The length of the guy 14 is such that the canted hook can be pushed into this position within a minimum of play over the edge 11a of the supporting fin 11.

In superheater tube supports it is important that the supports be adequately cool so as to protect the same from the excessive temperatures to which the superheater tubes and the supports therefor must necessarily be exposed. In this particular instance, the supporting fins 11 are attached to fluid cooled tubes 10, such as the steam generating tubes of a boiler, these tubes being relatively cool. Consequently the supporting fins 11 'being in conducting relationship therewith are therefore protected from excessive metal temperatures so that the useful life expectancy thereof is increased accordingly. The anchor guys 14 according to the invention are detachably mounted thereto, and consequently, although more prone to being burned out because of high temperatures to which they are exposed, they are readily replaceable with little labor and low cost. The ease with which the guys may be made and attached render them readily expendable. Consequently they can be fabricated of low cost materials.

While the instant invention has been disclosed with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it is to be appreciated that the invention is not to be taken as limited to all of the details thereof, as modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A tube support subject to high temperature heating gases in combination comprising a fluid cooled support tube, a support fin rigidly connected to said fluid cooled support tube, a superheater tube extending perpendicularly of said fluid cooled support tube, said fin having a recessed portion to form a tube seat conforming to the diameter of said superheater tube, said superheater tube being adapted to rest in the tube seat of said fin, and an anchoring means for detachably securing and anchoring said superheater tube to said fin, said anchoring means including an S-shaped member having opposed hook-end Patented July 7, 1959 2,893,698 v r L q 3 portions, said hook end portions being disposed at substantially right angles relative to each other, one hook end portion being adapted to engage said superheater tube and said other book end portion being adapted to engage an edge of said fin, said tube engaging hook end portion comprising an arcuate section conforming substantially to the outside diameter of said snperl'reater tube for em bracing the same, and said fin engaging hook end portion being substantially squared by a pair of right angle bends, the length of said substantially S-shaped member being such that with the arcuate hook end portion positioned over said supported superheater tube, the opposite hook 4' end portion can be readily positioned over the edge of said supporting fin so that said S-shaped member can be rotated between operative and inoperative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

